Transcript: The Mississippi River Collaborative, a coalition of 13 legal and environmental groups, recently released a report urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take more specific steps to regulate excess nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways.

This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.

The document, titled “Decades of Delay: EPA Leadership Still Lacking in Protecting America’s Great River,” follows an earlier report by the Iowa Environmental Council which outlined the many health risks associated with elevated nitrates in water including birth defects, cancers, and thyroid problems.

In the latest report, Mississippi River Collaborative points out that none of the river’s ten bordering states have made meaningful reductions in nutrient pollution.

The report suggests actions that EPA can take to reduce nutrient pollution in the Mississippi River. Its recommendations include setting specific limits for nitrogen and phosphorus allowed in state waters, required water quality assessments, and the development of statewide nutrient reduction strategies that include specific goals and adequate funding.

For more information about this report, or to read it in its entirety, visit Iowaenvironmentfocus.org.

From the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, I’m Betsy Stone.